Improvement in reapers and mowers



M. w; FREEMAN. REAPER AND MOWER.

Patemmb. 22,1876

N.FETERS, FHOTO-L ITHOGRAFHER, WASHINGTON. Dv C.

U ITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

MARVIN W. FREEMAN, OF BEATRICE, NEBRASKA.

IMPROVEMENT IN REAPERS AND MOWER'S.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 173,85 1, dated February 22, 1876; application filed October'29, 1875.

7 taken throughthe line or a, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of this'invention is to improve the construction of the sickle-bars ot' reaper-s and mowers, so as to enable them to cut better, keep sharp, longer, and work easier than when constructed in the ordinary way.

The. invention consists in the sickles concaved upon their inner sides, and provided with sickle-teeth, and in the combination of the stationary adjustable sickles and their bar with the vibrating sickles and their bar, and with'the dividing-fingers and the cutterbar, as hereinafter fully described.

A is the cutter-bar, to which the fingers B are attached in the usual way. 0 are the lower. sickles, which are secured to a bar, I). The bar D is secured to the fingers B by screws or bolts, which pass through short longitudinal slots in the fingers B, and screw into screwholes in the bar D, so that by loosening the said screws the sickles G and their bar D may be moved forward and back as may be desired. E are the upper sickles, which are attached to the bar F. The bar F is placed in thespace between the bar D and the cutter-bar A, and is kept in place against the said cutter-bar A by keepers G, attached to said cutter-bar. r y

The sickles O E are beveled upon the outer sides of their edges,-and have sickle-teeth formed upon them, as shown in Fig. 1. The adjacent sides of the sickles O E are concaved, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, so that they may bear upon each other only at their edges, so that thewear may keep the edges sharp, and stalks and dirt cannot get between the-sickles and separate them, so that their edges maynot hear properly upon each other. The sicklebar F and sickles E are vibrated in the usual way.

I am aware that sickle-sections have been heveledon the outside of edge, and serrated on the bevel; but this leaves the edge too thick and blunt. Mine, being serrated on the outside while the bevel is on the inside, can be sharpened on at common grindstone without injuring the serrations; and my serrations, being nearer the middle of section, will wear much longer.

By using-two sickles, serrated, matched, and concave, right and left oblique edges are made to work in close proximity with, each other, while by making the upper sickle-section long er than the lower one, the whole weight'of the former is made to bear on the heel there of, the main bar and bevel edges of lower sections thus retainingthe edges close together until worn out. Thus the whole weight ot' the upper sickle does not rest on the edges of the lower sickle-sections, but is distributed between the heels and points of upper sections, the heels resting on main bar, and edges on edges of lower section. V 1 am enabled in this way to compensate for wear of sections.

By slotting the fingers I am enabled to place the underforward ot' theupper sicklebar, so as to adapt the sickles to light or heavy grass. The advanced lower sickle causes, in heavy grass,its compression into a small space before it is cut, and reduces the cutting-surface of upper sections, lessening the power required fully forty per cent. Hence,

What I claim isr 1. The ledgerbar D and fingers B, connected by screws, adjustable in slotsof' fingers, as and for the purpose described.

2. The combination of upper cutters and lower ledgei blades, matched, oppositely concaved, and serrated on outside bevel, as and for the purpose specified.

MARVIN W. FREEMAN.

Witnesses:

' N. R. Games,

F. DANIEL KEEs. 

